News & Stories
Important Leadership Changes at ALS Northwest
A special message from Executive Director Lance Christian:
Dear Friend,
As we enter 2025, ALS Northwest is poised to leap into the new year with enthusiasm to help people with ALS while advocating for and funding research to end ALS.
Looking ahead, I am excited to announce some major leadership changes…
I Am Retiring!
It is with immense gratitude to our ALS community that I announce my retirement on January 31, 2025. Rest assured I will forever be a champion for ALS Northwest, I am simply taking off my leadership hat and joining all of you as an advocate and donor.
When I first joined ALS Northwest over 22 years ago, there were very few resources in our community for people with ALS and their families. Since working with and succeeding our founder Cindy Burdell, our community and staff have rallied together to create a comprehensive web of support for people with ALS in Oregon and SW Washington.
With your support, we have accomplished so much: the creation of six ALS multidisciplinary clinics; region-wide ALS support groups and medical equipment loan closets; pioneering Augmentative and Alternative Communication supports; Care Services Coordinators that cover every corner of Oregon and SW Washington; growing volunteer and bereavement programs for families; advocacy in Washington DC and Salem for important ALS services and research funding; the provision of hundreds of thousands of dollars of financial support directly to people with ALS for medical care; and funding nearly $3 million in ALS research over the last decade.
I am immensely proud of all we have accomplished together.
Looking ahead, there is still more to do. Every family who hears the words “You have ALS” deserves all the support we can provide them as well as hope for access to new treatments in the future. ALS Northwest is poised to play a pivotal role in that future with an amazing staff, Board of Directors and solid financial base.
A New Leader
It is with excitement that I share our very own Cassy Adams, MSW, LCSW will be stepping into the Executive Director role.
Cassy has been with ALS Northwest for eight years and is poised to bring our organization to even greater heights in this leadership role. Having served as both Care Services Director and Senior Director: Mission and Operations, Cassy is ready to hit the ground running. She has served hundreds of families and worked closely with our community partners to serve families living with ALS. During her tenure, she has successfully launched many new program initiatives and helped raise all the funds it takes to keep ALS Northwest running. I am incredibly happy to have Cassy as a successor.
Our Board of Directors is also delighted. Having completed a comprehensive external search, Cassy was the clear choice to bring our organization to the next level. Board Chair Jason Drucker shared, “We wanted to make sure we fulfilled our fiduciary and governance duty to make sure we had the best candidate possible for the future. We had many excellent candidates apply and interview for the position. Hands down, Cassy was the choice to lead us into the future. Her skill, capability and commitment to our mission was evident to us all. We are thrilled for her to take on the new role and look forward to working with her in the years ahead.”
In closing, I want to share how excited I am for the next chapter of my life in retirement. I have many personal and life goals I want to accomplish and share with my wife and family—and I want to reassure you that I am not disappearing from our ALS Northwest community. You will see me in the years ahead at Walks and other ALS Northwest events. I will forever treasure the friendships I have built with you all over the last 22 years.
We all care deeply about helping people with ALS, and this will continue. Thank you for your ongoing support and advocacy for ALS Northwest.
With gratitude,
Lance Christian
P.S. Visit Lance’s Kudos Board to share your photos and memories from his 22 years of service!